Strengthening Core Infrastructure for Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Electricity and Waste Services in Health Care Facilities (HLPF 2026 Side Event)

Thank you, sir.

A very good afternoon to everyone. Thank you for those of you who are on time, which as you know in this building is a rare occurrence. So out of respect for you that are here at 1:15, we are going to kick off. I'm sure we'll be joined by several other people Also, I'm the representative of the World Health Organization here in New York, and it's a great pleasure to moderate this discussion in very esteemed company, which includes the Secretary General's Special Envoy on Water, whom I want to acknowledge. Every time I'm at an event to speak, she is also there, so she is really doing her work very effectively. And then in particular to my right, the Permanent Representatives and Ambassador from Philippines and the Ambassador from Hungary who have shown tremendous leadership on this agenda for many years now here in the General Assembly. In fact, just a few days ago the Assembly adopted a very, very strong impactful resolution overwhelmingly which sets the agenda for all of us in the UN system, but also for countries to implement the WASH in healthcare facilities, but also improving WASH infrastructure across sectors in all member states of the United Nations. So congratulations to them for their leadership and for their teams working so hard to bring this resolution to a successful conclusion. This event, as you know, will focus on strengthening health systems, climate resilience, but also how do you integrate your planning and approach to infrastructure development so that WASH not only benefits healthcare facilities but the population more broadly. So it's important to hear from all the country representatives that will be up here on the panel first part of the discussion, what they do in their countries also to plan across sectors and to coordinate effectively. And then we will hear from those colleagues here from other stakeholders and constituencies that are very well versed in keeping governments on their toes and making sure they do their work properly the way they should. And that will be the second part of the discussion.

Who first?

Let me just say, for the past 4 or 5 years or so, we have seen in WHO a tremendous increase. We've seen a 60% increase in countries reporting on how they are strengthening water sanitation and hygiene facilities at national level, but also at subnational level. 101 countries now report to us in WHO on their activities to strengthen WASH, but also waste and electricity, which are crucial to have together with WASH in healthcare settings. As you all know, but needs to be reemphasized, WASH is really crucial for infection prevention and control, which is the way that outbreaks happen. Which then become epidemics and then become pandemics. So that is your first bulwark through which you defend is infection prevention and control. But WASH is also crucial for antimicrobial resistance, which is a key emerging challenge for us in the health sector and, if left unchecked, will result in health facilities being ineffective because it will not have antibiotics that can treat infections. But it is also important for maternal and child care, particularly neonatal care, and so it is something that benefits society as a whole. It is also quite heartening for us to see in our statistics that 80% of infrastructure programs across the world, even countries that do not like to talk about climate change here in this building, They now have a focus on climate resilience in their healthcare facilities, which is a very, very good signal. But all of these activities will not become very effective without monitoring how effective they are and how robust the implementation is. So the accountability part, I think, is very important, and we'll hear about that more in the second part of the discussion. So without any further words from my side, it's my great privilege to ask Ambassador Enrique Manolo to my right to deliver opening remarks, and he will be followed by the Special Envoy, Retno Marsudi. Ambassador? Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Obermeyer from the WHO office here in the UN. Good afternoon, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, partners. On behalf of the Group of Friends in Support of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, or WASH, in Healthcare Facilities, it's my pleasure to welcome all of you to this side event. I also want to acknowledge the presence of my co-chair of the Group of Friends, Ambassador Susanna Horváth, the PR of Hungary. Our discussions today are especially relevant for this year's HLPF. in which SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation is under review. In fact, the other SDGs under review are also very pertinent to WASH, namely SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy, 9 on industry and innovation and infrastructure, 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and 17 on partnerships. Ensuring water and sanitation for all indeed requires a focused and integrated In this regard, I am glad, of course, as you might be aware, that 2 days ago the General Assembly adopted the resolution presented by the Group of Friends on sustainable and safe water, sanitation, hygiene, waste, electricity services in healthcare facilities. The adoption of the resolution reflects the international community's recognition that these essential services are fundamental to resilient health systems. Systems and sustainable development. I believe that resolution and today's events will also contribute to the High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response to be held in a few months and also the 2026 UN Water Conference. Together, these processes remind us that resilient health systems begin with resilient infrastructure equipped with adequate, accessible and affordable WASH. Behind these figures are mothers giving birth without clean water, health workers providing care under difficult conditions, and communities left more vulnerable to disease outbreaks and climate-related emergencies. Considering these continuing challenges, our event today will explore practical and innovative solutions, strengthen partnerships, and identify opportunities to invest in resilient infrastructure and healthcare facilities. facilities. And we extend our sincere appreciation to our distinguished speakers and panelists, especially our keynote speaker, also my dear friend, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water, Her Excellency Ms. Retno El-Pie Marsoudy. I also wish to thank our colleagues from the World Health Organization and all our partners for making this event possible. In closing, I look forward to a rich exchange of experiences and good practices. and to help ensure that we continue working together to ensure that every healthcare facility is equipped with essential services needed to protect lives, strengthen resilience, and leave no one behind. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Ambassador Manolo. It's now my great privilege to introduce the Secretary-General's Special Envoy You may know that she has served as Foreign Minister of Indonesia for a decade and she tells me that she's finding her current job much nicer than her previous one. So over to you.

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Moderator. Excellencies, colleagues, first of all, of course, I thank the Philippines, Hungary, and WHO for inviting me in this very important side event. My apologies, I won't be able to stay for the whole session because at the same time I have to host the engagement with the private sectors. Colleagues, among many water challenges, the lack of wash and health facilities provides us a sobering reflection that the world cannot wait for action and progress in water. I would like to repeat it again, the world cannot wait for action and progress in water. We have heard many times that water is life and that water and sanitation sustain human dignity. Unfortunately, in many places, the reality is far from the statement. At least until 2023, data shows that 1.1 billion people were still served by healthcare facilities that lack Basic water services. 1.7 billion were served by health facilities without basic hygiene services such as hand wash utilities, and 3 billion were served by health facilities without basic sanitation. These data shows the grave reality surrounding our health system and our water. Therefore, it is time for us to take action. Colleagues, allow me to convey 3 things how to accelerate progress. First, putting WASH at the center of health system. Making WASH central at the heart of health system is strategic and appropriate. International cooperation, of course, must put WASH at the heart of global health agenda. Second, innovation in investment and financing. At the global level, we are witnessing the shrinking commitment to international cooperation, but at the same time, we continue to see growing attention to water and sanitation issue from private sector, and this is actually opportunity not to be missed. Last, make the best use of the current and upcoming strategic political momentum. The SDG 6 is currently under review with the ECOSOC-SLBV mechanism, and the 3rd UN Water Conference will take place at the end of this year, and these are the opportunities we must not Colleagues, in closing, allow me to emphasize my commitment of supporting works that ensure water, sanitation, and hygiene for all, especially those in need in health facilities, and wishing you a successful meeting. And I thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you very, very much, and good luck with the other event. I know the private sector is important because they are the major investors in infrastructure development, so wish you success for that event. Now I want to turn to some of the countries that are here to give us examples of what they are doing in their settings and also what they are doing in support of other countries. First on my list is Bangladesh. Also to my right, the speaker is the Principal Coordinator for SDG Affairs in the Prime Minister's Office, Dr. Rabul Awal. Thank you very much for joining us. It's now your turn.

Thank you very much. It is my pleasure to be here to join this session. I think most of you knew about Bangladesh, right? Bangladesh is a very climate-vulnerable country due to the geographical location. Can you hear me?

Yes.

It's all right. Due to the geographical location, we do have a positive side and the negative side. The positive side is we do have a fertile land. We can produce a lot of agricultural crops. The negative side is we do have a lot of natural disaster. a lot of natural calamities, right? So one of the major challenges nowadays we have is the water, water security, which we call— we are not calling it food security. I would more preferably call it water security. If you consider the northern area of my country, the people who are living in very rural area are suffering a lot due to the lack of fresh drinking water. If you consider the coastal area, the people are suffering a lot due to the saline water. So think about the grassroots people living both sides of the countries. So water playing a vital role in our country. Our government, after the democratic election held on 12th February, we took the powers, we are in the power now. And we have a proper strategy to address this type of problem. One of the strategies that government has to excavate canals, you know, we have a canal digging program. Our aim is to digging canals of about 20,000 kilometers in the next 5 years. Why we are doing that? Because, you know, as I mentioned earlier, we used underground water for irrigation system for the agricultural productivity, but if we can produce a lot of water reservoir, then we can use the surface water for irrigation systems. That's our plan. The second plan, as our water level is getting down and down and down, if we have a water reservoir, then it will recharge the underground water and it will uplift the level of underground water, and the water will be easily accessible for the rural people. So that's our strategy that government made nowadays. We do have another plan which we call Tista Baras Project. I don't know whether you heard about the Tista Baras Project or not. This project is basically based on the northern area. That area is based on the, like, agricultural-focused area, but we had a lot of water lackings for the irrigation system, particularly during the dry season. So we share water from China to India.

Yes.

to Bangladesh and also Nepal, but due to the transboundary water sharing issues, we had a problem that our government now having this strategy to develop our own system so that we can do a lot of canal excavation program, can connect canal with the rivers so that we can store our own water, right? That's the one— another problems, another things that we are addressing.

Thank you.

And regarding the health system, you know, water is directly linked with the health system, right, as mentioned by the previous speakers. Particularly, Bangladesh is doing great in the health over the years. We do have a good immunization system, we do have good vaccination systems. However, still we have a lot of challenges. Our government giving the priority on health, particularly the grassroots people, inspired by the UK NHS systems, you know. So our plan is to establish a healthcare unit at different union grassroots levels and our plan is to recruit 1 lakh healthcare workers. Out of 1 lakh, under 1,000K, 80% will be women so that we can encourage the women empowerment.

Thank you.

So in that way, we are addressing the problem in the water system as well as in the health systems. So I think— thank you very much. I'll be stopping here, and if you have any question further, I'll give the answer.

Thank you very, very much. Those are really concrete and very good examples. When we transition and have the stakeholders come up to the podium, and they are through with their presentations, we will have time for questions and answers, and then I'll be grateful if you were here to respond if there are. The next speaker on my list was a colleague from Ghana, but I am told that he left with his team when they were kicked out or knocked out of the World Cup, so he's not going to be here.

He's playing?

And then following him, I have Grace Wood from the UK, who has never stopped celebrating since they got through to the quarterfinal, so I'm very happy that she made time to join us here today.

Thank you, Mr. Moderator, and I was also supporting Ghana, so I was sad about that loss as well. But thank you so much for convening this event and to the group of friends for their leadership around advancing WASH in healthcare facilities. I'll speak a bit about how the UK is partnering with other countries to progress this agenda, so less about what we're doing domestically but more about how we're partnering internationally. I mean, as we know and as the opening speakers have said, this area is really fundamental to both SDG 6 around clean water, but also SDG 3 around health, and many other SDGs. Investment in these services reduces infections, improves maternal and newborn health, strengthens preparedness, and helps to build more resilient health systems for the future. As my colleague from Bangladesh just said, obviously, progress does happen fastest when countries lead and when partners align behind that, and when we can share good practices across our systems. So we are working to support governments to try to move beyond some of what was previously maybe individual projects towards more of a system-strengthening approach for the longer term. So, for example, one area we've been working on, we've been backing the World Bank the World Bank's Water Forward initiative, which is supporting the development of national water compacts. So that's trying to help countries to translate the ambition into action and aligning different parts of government that can sometimes feel and be quite fragmented. So finance ministries, planning, health, water, and environment, and then also external partners, who ourselves can be quite fragmented too, around a shared vision, a shared set of priorities, a shared set of reforms where that might be needed, and including for climate-resilient WASH in schools and as well as healthcare facilities. In some countries that this has been working in, such as Sierra Leone and the DRC and Senegal, these compacts have then been linked to longer-term programs that have sought to attract and have attracted additional public and private investment over time, so they have a bit of a multiplier effect. This is really— this is a really important model from our point of view, because sustainable— although we're talking about infrastructure, sustainable progress in WASH will not be achieved just by investment in that infrastructure. It also requires stronger institutions and better planning, more coordinated planning, and clearer accountability across sectors. Another area that we are supporting on as well is our— we have a community of expertise on health pretty recently launched at the Global Partnerships Conference that we held in May, and this is looking to provide more responsive technical assistance and expertise and support to partner governments who might want that, to provide more kind of tailored advice for their needs. And we know that it's not just a technical solution. We, you know, all— anything that happens, we're in the UN, anything that happens in is about political will. So that's why we've also been supporting the Heads of State Initiative with the Netherlands and UNICEF and IRC and WaterAid and Sanitation and Water for All. We think that's really important because it is encouraging the sort of top political leaders to champion WASH as part of core development priorities. And to embed commitments around WASH within development and financing strategies. So that is why it's great that we have this focus here this week. With the UN Water Conference coming up as well, it really needs to be prioritized at that top level. So as we look ahead to the Water Conference later this year, I think we've got really good momentum so far. We need to build on that and, you know, ensure that we have the right investment, the right technical partnerships, and the political leadership to ensure that every healthcare facility has safe and reliable infrastructure to deliver quality care to those who need it. So, with that, thank you. I will stop.

Thank you, Grace, and thank you very much also for the financial support the UK has been giving to the water agenda for many years now, and we look forward to the same levels being sustained in the coming years. You don't have to respond to that immediately. That concludes the delegations from the member states. And I am now going to ask all the other speakers from World Vision, IRC, WaterAid, Catholic Relief Services, and World Bank to join us here at the podium. I'm very happy that you mentioned Water Forward. There was a very good event yesterday on that specific initiative, which is very exciting actually, and if scaled up the way the Bank intends, will make a major difference. Of course, one pillar focuses on sanitation and health, which is a key to integrate into the other sectors also. So thank you very much to the colleague from Bangladesh and from the UK, who are now able to listen.

We're being relegated.

No, you are just being swapped. Okay, there will be enough seats for the others. What happened to Zambia? Apparently he's late, but I don't know how late. I mean, he should be in the building. He's not here. Ghana is not going to come. Thank you very much. It's not that you have to leave the podium. If we could have more seats here, if it If it were not for the austerity measures, we could all be at the podium. But that is life here. We should be grateful there is sound at least. I'm now going to turn to the colleagues who are here to tell us what they do actually, because I think it is important to hear from the constituents who are at the podium now, because even though infrastructure development and safe water remains the responsibility of governments, it cannot be done only by governments. Obviously, partners are necessary, whether it's the private sector or other stakeholders, and these are key support drivers for us, also with the UN system, because we work with many of them in addition to working with governments. So it's very important to hear from them. And let me first turn to Kelly Parsons, who is the CEO of WaterAid America, to give her reflections. Kelly?

Thank you. Thank you. So, my name is Kelly Parsons. I'm the CEO of WaterAid America and delighted to be with you all today. I had the honour of moderating the last UN-SIDE event held on this issue in September And this is an issue that is very close to my heart, as I lost my mother to an antibiotic-resistant disease or infection. I also have the honor of working regularly with women in the communities where WaterAid works, and we hear time and again how harmful the lack of clean water, decent sanitation, and good hygiene is within a healthcare facility. So today I'm going to bring 3 of those voices into this room. We know that it's often women that are most effective. Take Evelyn's experience at a hospital in western Uganda. These are her own words. The toilets in the hospital were dirty, with over 20 people or more waiting to use one single toilet. They weren't functional. and we weren't able to use them. Let us not forget that women make up over 2/3 of the global health workforce also. I'd like to share the experience of Chanette, a midwife in Grand Cape Mount, Liberia, who even while working in such unacceptable conditions still had not only thoughts for herself but for her patients. And Chanette shared with us If the patient is brought in in labor, in the time it takes me to go and look for water, she might deliver and need my immediate attention. But I'm not around because I'm out looking for water. And that could cause significant harm to either the mom or the baby. She might have a postpartum hemorrhage in the process. I'm looking for water. These mothers might bleed to death. When sustainable WASH services are in place, there's a transformational, often life-saving effect on the local population. In WaterAIDS research, we've seen that simple affordable essentials like clean water, toilets, and handwashing could cut maternal infections and deaths by at least 50%. It's a huge impact. Finally, I'll share Zephia's experience, a nurse in Malawi who shared the profound impact of introducing WASH services in the health center in which she works, a success story. We've seen a huge drop in sepsis cases, she says. For the past 4 months, we have not registered any cases of sepsis because we now have clean water, sanitation, and good hygiene. I can't— I'm unable to do my job without this and keep babies and patients safe from infection, so I'm now so grateful and happy to be be good at what I'm here to do. Countries must act on the demands voiced by women like these and others all around the world and ensure that there's an understanding across sectors that a healthcare facility is not a healthcare facility without water sanitation and hygiene. Member states must do this by ensuring close coordination between ministries of WASH, health, and infrastructure to prioritize WASH in healthcare facilities, order to meet those joint goals. As said earlier, we need to put WASH at the heart of healthcare. We know health ministries are, for example, currently engaging in UN high-level meetings on pandemic preparation— prevention, preparation, and response process, for which investing in WASH and healthcare facilities is very real. There must be a cross-ministerial effort to finance and implement WASH and healthcare facilities costed roadmaps, including through integration with initiatives such as health and water compacts. 2026 is the Year of Water. It is both the African Union's theme and, of course, the year of the UN Water Conference. It's an opportunity for step change, and we're delighted to be a part of this. I'd like to thank the governments of Ghana and Switzerland for their championship of the needs of people as co-chairs of the Water for people dialogue. We need to ensure that governments are meeting people with essential WASH services throughout their lives, starting in the delivery room, including schools, and ultimately in the healthcare facilities we all rely on later in life. And finally, I'd like to thank our hosts, the governments of both the Philippines and Hungary, for their ongoing work in elevating this important issue. We look forward to working with you to ensure that nobody will have to use a healthcare facility which is undignified, drives deadly infection, and ultimately not given the bare basics to protect lives. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Kelly. It's important also that you mentioned the ongoing negotiations on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, of which I am right in the middle, so it's not so nice always to be reminded of it, but the infection prevention control, WASH, and the focus on primary healthcare is key to that outcome and already included in the outcome document also. So rest assured it will be there and will be a strong focus. Now I turn to the people with the money. who is my friend and colleague, who works very closely with WHO from the World Bank, Linda Mabulla, who is the Senior Health Specialist.

Good afternoon, everybody, and thank you so much for having us. Kelly spoke about, you know, voices from the field that are really important, and I'm going to reinforce that before before I talk about the Water Forward initiative that many of you have heard about. In 2018, the second largest Ebola outbreak was declared in DRC, and communities told us that they needed water. Ebola was a concern, but what was more important for them was access to water and healthcare. And in DRC in particular, the World Bank has invested in WASH rehabilitation, you know, rehabilitation of infrastructure, water supply, waste management, and IPC in a particular province, and that has had an impact specifically on other services like maternal child health. But also investments in energy have led to an increase in utilization of services across the board in specific health zones in the province of Igweta. During this ongoing Ebola outbreak that you're very familiar with, you know, WASH has been integrated as part of the response and as part of the response budget to prioritize this issue because there are many healthcare workers that get infected if you don't have access to clean water and good waste management. I'm going to take a step back and talk a little bit more about the Water Forward initiative, which was launched in April of this year during Spring Meetings, and many of you have heard about this already. And it's a new global multi-stakeholder initiative with the aim of improving water security for 1 billion people by 2030. And the bank has committed to reaching 400 million people with improved water security. And the strategy is organized around 3 main pillars: water for people, water for food, and water for planet. And at its core, we've talked about these country water compacts, which are government-led action plans that integrate policy reform, institutional strengthening, and investment planning, but under full national ownership, government ownership. And that's really, really key. And as you know, the Bank comes alongside governments to provide funding to really prioritize investments that they consider as a priority. And so, as part of the launch, there have been 14 countries that have announced compacts for water in particular, and there are more in the pipeline. I think there are 48 potential countries that will be launched by the end of 2026. And I'm going to talk a little bit to give a couple of examples of some of these countries. So Angola, for example, has committed to universal WASH access in schools and health— healthcare facilities by 2032. Tanzania targets 100% coverage in both schools and health facilities by 2031. And DRC, which I mentioned, has allocated $1.95 billion specifically for institutional WASH, and that's 10% of its total sector budget. So alongside the water compacts, we have health compacts as well, and I come from our health unit. So the World Bank is working on what we're calling a target implementation plan, which aims to reach 1.5 billion people with affordable healthcare. And as part of that, we have health compacts that are working in parallel with the water compacts. And our goal is to really align the two, improve coordination between these two sectors internally but also externally, which is why we're here today. And there are 16 countries that have already launched their health compacts. We're aiming to have around 40 countries launch their health compacts by the end of the year, by the end of 2026. And so, the idea is to really look at improving health facility readiness as a priority, looking at IPC, making sure there's resilient, climate-resilient WASH infrastructure, but also energy. And so, our goal is to, as I had mentioned, align our resources. And this can be challenging sometimes because you have to be operating in the same geographic area, And you have to be within the same cycle in terms of project implementation, but this is something that the Bank has committed to and has prioritized. And so we continue to work on ensuring that water security is achieved for 1 billion people, 400 million of which will be part of the Bank target, but looking forward to working with you to address these community needs, because at the end of the day, what we're doing is responding to the needs of the communities that we serve. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Linda. Now I want to turn to the International Rescue Committee and also to my right, Mesfin Tekle Tessema, who is the Senior Director of their Health Unit. Mesfin?

Yeah.

Thank you very much for having me, and I will speak from IRC's perspective, where we work in the most fragile and climate-stressed environments, and people are experiencing this scarcity daily. So, for us, water, sanitation and hygiene, and electricity in healthcare settings are the foundations of high-quality healthcare. in such settings, these foundations are also critical and frontline for epidemic control and prevention of pandemics. So we are seeing this actively playing out in many places, including the Ebola, current Ebola, as well as other disasters. So for climate-resilient WASH and electricity, healthcare setting should increasingly be viewed as a core health security infrastructure. And it's— yes, it is necessary to provide service, but it does more than meeting immediate basic need. So, that is where we call this the foundation for quality healthcare. And I think that's where I think weak WASH and IPC in healthcare facilities also is a condition for the spread of infection, and where an outbreak can become epidemic, epidemic can become, you know, pandemic. So, a health facility with reliable water sanitation and hygiene and, you know, proper infection control, that's where outbreaks get contained, and a facility without them is where actually it gets amplified, even become, you know, a public health emergency of international concern. And I think that we have seen seen it in Eastern DRC now. As the outbreak spread silently earlier this year, it was the infection of healthcare workers that alerted the international community in one of the hospitals in Ituri. In fact, the WHO risk assessment noted that the cause of their infection is a critical breach in IPC protocols. That's where I think infection prevention control is so critical for protecting frontline healthcare workers and defense for health security. Of course, we know that the outbreak is spreading much wider than initially reported. In this context, health facilities that were already overstretched are now expected to meet their need, which is pushing them to their breaking point. I think we need to continue better in terms of protecting health systems with infection prevention control. I think, you know, previous speakers spoke about the statistics. It's sobering. And I would only quote one from the fragile and humanitarian settings, where 60 countries are classified as fragile. In these settings, you know, according to the data from WHO-UNICEF GMP 2023, 37% of health facilities lack basic water, and then 46% lack basic hygiene, and 81% lack basic sanitation. You know, 81%, that's a sobering statistic, you know, to think about it. So this is the context that we are operating, and in our work, we are supporting our countries to improve IPC infrastructure as well as access to electricity. So, where there is concerted effort and investment, we see progress, and it is possible to change the outcome, and this outcome requires financing as well as investment. So, just to give you an example, IRC, we support more than 2,700 healthcare facilities in these settings, and many of them are managed by the Ministry of Health in the countries where we operate. And we did an assessment using the WASHFIT online digital assessment tool in 2025. And the finding was that out of the 833 health facilities in 20+ countries assessed, just only 33% have met, you know, overall IPC target. That's 33. These are health facilities that are expected to, you know, detect and respond to outbreaks. And, you know, where facility-level IPC are also strengthened, we also see results. And I think the example that we have seen, for example, from Uganda, from our work with the Ministry of Health there, 85% of health facilities that we supported in refugee-hosting districts, they met the national IPC target. And that is progress, you know, where there is concerted effort and direct investment happening. I have seen myself in Nigeria, where our team shifted from diesel-powered power supply to health facilities to solar-powered. During the disruption of— during the war, with disruption of fuel supply, I have seen health facilities continue to maintain cold chain without interruption of supply of vaccine. That's where I think the adaptation to climate and electricity investment is critical. We welcome, actually, in the resolution the inclusion of several of these provisions, and I think it's important that we continue to invest in financing, and improvement of these facilities, not only protecting from attack— yes, I mean, healthcare facilities are attacked in conflict settings— but also investment in IPC, which is also a direct defense for infectious disease. The national roadmap, which previous speakers spoke about, is critical, but we also need to recognize the civil society humanitarian organization the example that I mentioned, that we work in these settings, that those partnerships are inclusive of the different diversity of stakeholders that are needed. And I think we also need to measure what we are doing. If you don't measure, we will not know whether we are making progress or not. So realities in fragile contexts must be captured and measured through subnational disaggregated data and ensuring that, you know, the reporting includes data from these settings. It is only by doing that we'll be able to know the differentiation, the progress, as well as where there is no, you know, progress. So, that's where I think we do think, you know, strengthening through data, through partnership, and ensuring that the clear investments are made. in fragile settings that we can build our frontline defence from infectious disease outbreaks. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mesfin. As you mentioned, many of the health clinics in fragile countries are off-grid, and so we also make sure that in working with the World Bank, IRENA, and many many of the other UN partners, we invest through the health ministries in solar power in those areas where we can maintain obviously cold chain, but also many of the other facilities that we need in a functioning health clinic. Now I want to turn to the Catholic Relief Services, Michelle Gillfillan, who is the Vice President for International Funding, and thank you for all the work you also do, particularly African countries?

Yes, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here today. I work for Catholic Relief Services and we work in about 100 countries around the world. And as this group understands, a fundamental message that we at CRS strongly believe in is that without WASH, there is no safe healthcare. So Kelly said that eloquently just a little bit ago. So that's why WASH is a core pillar of our water security strategy, especially in high-risk settings, health facilities, and schools. So, I just have 3 main points I'd like to share that are very important from Catholic Relief Services' perspective as we continue to collaborate in this community for WASH in healthcare facilities. The first is that my colleagues have said this, investment is critical. We know that WASH in healthcare facilities is one of the most cost-effective investments that we can make. In health system resilience. So, conflict and climate change and outbreaks are placing unprecedented stress in our health systems, and we're seeing this now, for example, in DRC. Over the past 5 years, CRS and our partners have improved WASH conditions in roughly 500 health facilities across Africa, Asia, and Central America, and we're committed to continuing to reach hundreds of healthcare facilities facilities in the coming years, both through direct support and through systems approaches. One small example that I'll share is from Kenya, the Mutito Catholic Health Center. We and our partners changed the way the facility received water. So, instead of collecting water from long distances or paying really high costs to vendors for water delivery, we were able to develop a gravity water system built with financial and technical support, both from CRS and other investors. And now that provides large quantities of water every day to the health center. And so, not only have the costs reduced, but as we're hearing, neonatal sepsis has also decreased from nearly 15% to practically nothing, and postpartum sepsis is nearly eliminated. So, that investment, of course, has had a ripple effect as surrounding schools and And the community have a water point that provides access to clean water with minimal fees now collected to help with that water facility's maintenance. So we know, though, that infrastructure is definitely not enough. So the real challenge is how do we ensure these services remain functional during shocks and stresses? And that brings me to my second point, that the future of WASH in healthcare facilities is not individual projects. It's really in a whole systems approach.

Approach.

And probably one of the biggest lessons that we've learned is that sustainable progress comes not from building systems, but strengthening the systems that sustain them. So we know that our approach in this goes way beyond construction, and we focus on planning and budgeting, monitoring and data systems, technical supervision, quality improvement, and of course, probably most importantly, local ownership and accountability. I think an important thing to mention here is that we have helped work on a sustainability framework that emphasizes governance and finance, technical capacity, and climate resilience as interconnected components to WASH services. And we've been actually able to test this framework in more than 60 health facilities in 9 countries with the support from several organizations and in collaboration with the Vatican, DeCastri for Promoting Integral Human Development. And that improves the quality, functionality, and sustainability of WASH in Catholic healthcare facilities. So to get to my third point, we know that one of the most important ingredients to sustainability is trust. And that is why we really believe that faith-based actors are strategic partners to achieving sustainable access to WASH in healthcare facilities. And there are 3 factors, I think, that faith actors provide that maybe can't easily be replicated. It's reach, trust, and staying power. As we know, faith-based organizations are often among the first institutions communities turn to in times of crisis and among the last to leave once that crisis ends. So, CRS works both across government and faith-based health systems to strengthen overall health performance. And we've really seen that power of colleagues learning from each other and bolstering their strong voice to advocate for increased investment. And even more importantly, and I know our colleague who couldn't be here, our Water Envoy, stated this earlier, but WASH is not just a technical intervention. It's really core to our values to uphold human dignity of every person. So, we believe that every mother deserves to deliver in a clean and safe environment. Every newborn deserves protection from avoidable infection, and every patient deserves care that respects their dignity. So, access to WASH services is fundamentally linked to that right to health and the dignity owed to every person. I'll just share one quick thing. Earlier this year, and some of you are partners in this, we were able to hold a convening, CRS and other faith-based organizations. We had a global gathering in Rome, and 150 115 participants from 90 organizations pledged to accelerate action on WASH in healthcare facilities. And that meeting really reinforced the importance of stronger collaboration between faith-based and government health systems and using our collective voice to mobilize action. So, I think some of the elements of the resolution that were celebrated and ratified earlier, you know, really echo— are echoed there. So, just to close, if we want resilient health systems capable of withstanding the pressures of conflict, climate change, and future outbreaks, then WASH and healthcare facilities must move from the margins to the center of health system investment. It is about water security, health security, resilience, dignity, and equity. Thank you so much for spending this time together.

Thank you, Michelle, for emphasizing, especially in your closing, the dignity and equity aspects of what we are discussing here today. And the final panelist before we have a question and answer session is Peter Hines, to my right, Senior Manager of Wash Programs at World Vision.

Great. Well, thank you so much to the organizers for this important event and for all of you for being here. I think it's— we all agree that it's really important to keep this topic of WASH in healthcare facilities at the top of the priority list. So, as World Vision, we know we're both a fundraiser and a strong implementer. We have strong WASH programs across 42 of our countries that we implement in. And I just wanted to take a minute to reflect on the 3 points of that the Special Envoy on Water brought up earlier from World Vision's perspective. So, the first thing she said was to put WASH at the center of the global health agenda. And I just want to admit that that's difficult. It's hard. I think alignment across sectors at the government level is really hard. Even at an NGO level, having the WASH sector and the health sector talk to each other really strongly can be difficult. We all have our own projects we're doing. We all have our own small little things. We need to think bigger. So, I think one of the things we found is having strong champions for WASH and healthcare facilities in both the health side and the WASH side has been really helpful and successful in bringing programs together and bringing more momentum. I also think that the World Bank Water Compacts might be really helpful in catalyzing this action. You know, we as an implementer are looking for the governments to guide us to where we should be doing our work. We have priority intervention areas at World Vision, priority geographic areas, but where that aligns with the government, how can we invest in projects together and really do the work and strengthen each other? That's my hope. The second thing that the Special Envoy said was innovation in financing is really important. And I think we all can be a little bit more creative. On the fundraising side at World Vision, we found that WASH in healthcare facilities is something that individual donors can really get behind. Understanding the need for WASH in healthcare facilities is not hard for people to grasp. It's very obvious to see. And so, I think for individual private foundations, for individual private donors, I think we should be sharing the message more to try to raise more funds and invest it in more healthcare facilities. The other thing, which IRC, you mentioned too, was around the electrification of healthcare facilities. I think as we talk about water being a strong infrastructural need in healthcare facilities, electricity is an equally high infrastructural need in healthcare facilities. And so, if we can bring water and electricity together at a healthcare facility, we can think about creating mini microgrids that then are the off point for community engagement and community building. We've experimented with that a little bit at World Vision in both Zambia, and Malawi. And that's a different donor segment than maybe is normally interested in the water side of things. And so, I think we need to be pushing on that a little more as well. The third thing that the Special Envoy mentioned was just using the upcoming political moments that we have in front of us. I think the UN Water Conference is a great opportunity for all of us to continue the momentum that we have now and to try our best to align water investments in healthcare facilities and actually show the progress that we're making and be able to celebrate wins at the Water Conference and into the rest of the SDG era. So, thank you all very much.

Thank you very much, Peter. I noticed many delegations here in the room today. So let me remind those of you who are here not only about the Water Conference but the General Assembly High-Level Meetings on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response and next year's Universal Health Coverage High-Level Meeting, which are 2 outcomes where this WASH agenda should definitely be featured prominently. Now we have some time for questions and answers and I believe Slovenia and Azerbaijan have already indicated that they wanted to speak. So if you could raise your hands, the representative of Slovenia, please, ma'am.

Thank you so much. Thank you to the organizers of today's event, the great leadership of the Hungary and Philippines missions here in New York, and of course the panelists today. It's not a one-off event, it's a multi-year effort that keeps bringing the attention of the General Assembly to the issue of WASH in healthcare facilities. I just wanted to speak today quickly to reaffirm the support of Slovenia to the agenda as part of the core group on the resolution that was just adopted in the GA a couple of days ago. Just a really quick reflection following today's discussion. I wanted to shed a light on the Issue of water in health and WASH in healthcare facilities, also in the areas that are affected by armed conflicts. Water is increasingly under attack, as we see, and often in clear violation of international humanitarian law. The consequences of attacks on water systems and personnel not only cause devastating immediate humanitarian consequences, but also unravel decades of development in healthcare facilities. They have long-lasting detrimental effect to the health of humans as well as the environment. As many of the speakers today have already mentioned, the upcoming UN 2026 Water Conference really provides an opportunity to identify effective pathways forward to not only prevent these incidents and deliberate actions, but also to invest in more resilient delivery of water and health in fragile and conflict-affected settings through priority actions and flagship initiatives of interactive dialogues, especially the Dialogue A on Water for People. So maybe a question for today's briefers, especially those who are very much active and our partners in the humanitarian context, in the context that are affected by armed conflicts. Could you reflect a bit on the issue of ensuring WASH in healthcare facilities, a task that is already difficult to achieve in peaceful settings, let alone in armed conflicts? Thank you so much.

Thank you. Do we still have Azerbaijan? If Azerbaijan doesn't identify immediately, then— Yes, sir.

Distinguished Chair, Excellencies, colleagues, Mexico calls for accelerated implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 by recognizing water sanitation and hygiene not only as basic services but as essential enablers of resilient health systems, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. Achieving this requires stronger political commitment, adequate and sustainable financing, and strategic investments in resilient WASH systems, particularly in healthcare facilities, schools, and communities exposed to droughts, floods, and other climate-related hazards. When water and sanitation services fail, health risks increase, infection prevention and control are weakened, and the continuity of essential health services is compromised. As we move forward, as we move towards the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, Mexico underscores the need for coherent, integrated, evidence-based water governance grounded in the human right to water and sanitation, a watershed approach, and the meaningful participation of communities and other stakeholders. Water should no longer be addressed through fragmented approaches. It must be recognized as a cross-cutting priority that underpins health, biodiversity, climate action, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. Strengthening coordination across sectors and across the United Nations systems will be essential to translate political commitments to effective implementation on the ground. Mexico also calls for the full integration of WASH into emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation strategies. Investing before crises occur is not only more cost-effective, it reduces risks, prevents avoidable harm, and saves lives. The 2026 United Nations Water Conference provides a unique opportunity to reinforce global cooperation, strengthen water governance, and accelerate collective action towards a more resilient, equitable, and water-secure future for all. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Are there any other interventions or questions from the floor? Don't be shy, people. If there are none, then I'm going to turn to the panellists if they want to reflect on what they've heard, specifically the comment on how to deal with WASH in already fragile settings in health and humanitarian emergencies where there is a breakdown, a breakdown of facilities, and then the other issue around the human rights approach and the integration, policy integration with WASH among sectors. So let me start with Methvin, who actually addressed one of the areas already briefly, yeah?

Yeah, thank you, Giovanni, I think, for raising this point. in the Geneva Convention, that civilian infrastructure should not be a target of war. So, I think what we need is accountability, and we should not accept impunity as the outcome of attacks. So, you know, we have international instruments, but it has to be implemented. I think that's where we are lacking. I think the Special Envoy said, you know, I think political will, that's what is missing. So, for this resolution even to have impact, there needs to be a mechanism for accountability. And yes, in fragile humanitarian settings, we see water and access to sanitation services very poor, but we have also seen the opportunities where there is concerted effort to make a change. And we have seen it in the example I mentioned about Uganda, and I can add on Yemen as well, where we've been working in terms of improving water infrastructure and we've been able to improve, actually, the IPC standard in the health facilities. However, when significant foreign aid cut happens, then those gains have reversed quickly. So I think the gains are also fragile. So I think that's where I think sustained engagement and investment is needed to really improve the water water sanitation facility, as well as access to electricity in this setting. So, yes, it is a challenge we are very much aware of, but it's also a solvable problem. There is international instrument available, but we should not accept impunity as outcome for anyone violating those provisions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mesfin. Linda?

Thank you so much for this question, which is really important. And I'm just going to add to what our colleague from IRC said in terms of when there's conflict, we know that there's increased displacement and increased risk of certain outbreaks like cholera. And so, I think it's really important to think about prevention, but also access to water at the community level. We talked a lot about healthcare facilities, but also community-level WASH interventions is really, really critical. There are a couple of examples from the bank side, from Yemen and DRC, that kind of highlight how the importance of investing in both health and WASH at the same time. In Yemen, there is an integrated health and water project that's actually led by both the health sector and the water sector, or WASH sector. And that, to us, was really, really important to have have that integration at the country level for, for a single project. And I think it's a great example of how you can ensure that there's access to water at the community level and healthcare facility level in an area that has— that's fragile in a humanitarian setting. In DRC, we also— in eastern DRC, we actually provided water to internally displaced people camps, IDP camps, for cholera prevention. And when you do that, you're actually looking at reduction of risk for several diseases, not just cholera, but other diarrheal illnesses and Ebola. So, I think really thinking about how to leverage development funds, specifically in humanitarian settings, to improve access to water at the community level is going to be really critical.

Thank you.

I might just quickly add to the importance of capacity building in all of that, right? If a conflict breaks out, I can't send any World Vision staff to go in there right away because of our safety and risk protocols. Right? It might take a while for us to get there. Where in these projects, if you have a strong capacity-building component where private operators can repair water systems or do the fixes that need to happen to get the water system back online, that allows things to be sustainable for longer term. And so, really important to do that capacity-building side.

Maybe I'll just add to that point. You're making me think of the really— the importance of partnership, sustainability, and just to come back to the point about faith-based actors, no matter the faith, that they're really embedded in the community and they have that trust. So, I think that's a really important lever that we can pull as we look at accelerating this progress and as we look at security. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Maybe just 2 points. When we talk about health system strengthening, what we mean is that you build resilience from the ground up. So you look first at your community-level health clinics, health facilities, and then that is where you will be delivering primary healthcare. 90% of the services you need for universal health coverage you can deliver through a primary healthcare approach. So when you start building your resilient health systems and you put in place functioning community health clinics or facilities, whether they are on or off-grid, then those can withstand shocks much more easily. And it's obviously an incremental approach. It's not something that can be done overnight. Just to mention that there have been several intergovernmental agreements and outcomes which make the links very clearly in We discussed in 2023 in the Universal Health Coverage High-Level Meeting the right to physical and mental health and how important wash, water, hygiene, sanitation is for realizing that right. It was also captured in the resolution that was adopted just 2 days ago, and that resolution also reflected on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which was adopted last May by the World Health Assembly, which realizes also in the text of the agreement how important the wash is for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. So there are intergovernmental agreements on this. Now is the time to make sure that it's implemented and implemented by everyone. Any other questions or— Reflections, then I'm sure all of you have been absolutely convinced, as I am, by the panelists here at the podium, and it's my great privilege now to ask Ambassador Susanna Hovarth of Hungary to close the meeting for us.

Thank you, Werner. Ambassador Manalo, Director Werner, distinguished colleagues, and distinguished panelists, It has been an honor for us to host you here today as co-chairs of the Group of Friends in Support of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Healthcare Facilities. It is always a great occasion to be among friends and to discuss important issues and to have the opportunity to learn from each other's examples. My task here is to give concluding remarks, which is not an easy task. Given the richness and the depth of the discussion today. Nevertheless, I endeavor to leave you with the following 3 main take-home messages. First, the topic of WASH in healthcare facilities is a cross-cutting issue. Today's discussion has been a remarkably good opportunity to demonstrate the interlinkages between different SDGs. It has been highlighted how progress in SDG 6 is a catalyst for other SDGs and how progress in related SDGs such as SDG 9 on infrastructure have knock-on effects on the realization of other goals. And of course, progress under these goals go hand in hand with the implementation of broader goals of achieving universal health coverage under SDG 3. My second point is that despite some measurable progress achieved achieved recently, challenges remain. One key aspect of this interlinked nature of the problem is how climate and energy integration are foundational to achieving our goals. In this regard, the Secretary-General's Progress Report of 2025 highlighted that 80% of infrastructure programs now address climate and 44% of those countries that have updated standards have indeed integrated climate resilience and sustainability. I believe that we have heard some very good examples of how climate-resilient infrastructure is vital for our efforts. Speakers before me have also mentioned the GA resolution that our group of friends have championed and that we have just adopted. Adopted this Monday, so I will not delve deep into the subject. Suffice it to say that we are grateful for all the support that we have received, including the more than 30 delegations that have co-sponsored the resolution. On this subject, our task is clear: help the implementation of the resolution and keep advocating for the issue. And my third and last point is that sharing of good practices and lessons learned are crucial in order to protect lives, strengthen resilience, and leave no one behind. Maybe one of the key lessons here today is how essential it is to come together and learn from each other. The unique character of the HLPF provides an indispensable platform for peer learning and sharing of best practices. That is why we must thank all of our panelists for their invaluable contributions, including our keynote speaker, Her Excellency Ms. Retno Marsudi, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water. We also thank our excellent panelists from WaterAid America, the World Bank, the Catholic Relief Services, the International Rescue Committee, and World Vision. We have heard some truly excellent insights into how collaboration and partnerships can advance WASH in healthcare facilities, from the work on preventing maternal and newborn mortality, to preventing outbreaks and mitigating climate-related factors, to the exceptional community and faith-based initiatives. Last but not least, and in the spirit of SDG G17, we must emphasize the critical importance of forging partnerships for the realization of our goals. For instance, our Group of Friends is one of such examples whereby a committed group of countries come together and champion and advocate for a common goal. Therefore, I would be remiss not to conclude by indicating that our group is open to new members States joining. Please feel free to let us know if your delegation intends to join. And with that, we thank again for all of our panelists and all of you who have joined here today. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We are now going to vacate the podium.